Change of Heart
by cutegoddess007
Summary: Serena Beaumont had always done what was expected of her. And, she was all ready to marry millionaire Andrew Carter in an extravagant Manhattan wedding. Everything in her life was planned. Until, an impromptu trip to the south brought about a meeting with a pompous, yet handsome Darien Shields. What will happen when a southern boy questions a Manhattan princess's planned out life?
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone,

This is a different themed story from my other main work. I think this is a more relatable work. Hopefully you like it.

Please review and leave feedback on what your thoughts are so far. It will help me decide whether to continue or not.

Enjoy!

CHANGE OF HEART

Chapter 1

Serena Beaumont gracefully smoothed the wrinkles in her periwinkle silk dress, as she listened for the next question.

"So how did you two meet, and fall in love?" asked Stephanie Ross. Her hazel eyes twinkled under the restaurant lighting, as she tapped her pen to her notepad.

"Well we met through mutual friends, didn't we sweetheart?" answered a deep voice, to Serena's immediate left.

Serena turned to smile adoringly at her fiancé, Andrew Carter. His green eyes looked down at her warmly, as he squeezed her hand, which lay entwined in his, on the dinner table.

He was the very reason they were spending their morning as such, in the posh Waldorf Astoria grand restaurant, with the New York Times reporter nonetheless. Well, she supposed they were both to blame. They were getting married.

And according to her mother-in-law-to-be, this wasn't just any plain, old wedding. No, this was THE wedding of the year. And others apparently seemed to share that sentiment. So much so that the head reporter at New York Times had contacted them about doing a feature on their much anticipated nuptials.

Serena watched Stephanie Ross, who was wearing an immaculate black pantsuit. She was very eager to hear everything Serena and Andrew had to say. Well, it had nearly been two hours since they had arrived for the interview at the Waldorf Hotel at 7 AM. She had to wake up at the ungodly hour of 4 AM to get ready for this esteemed breakfast interview.

They had arrived to find Stephanie waiting; her notebook and pen laid out on the table of choice. They had each ordered coffee for breakfast, along with some light snacks, and had commenced with the interview right away, so as not to waste any time, which was exactly what Andrew wanted, seeing as he had a line up of meeting booked for the afternoon.

Stephanie had asked about their families, about their first meeting, their hopes and dreams… Let's just say she was very invested in this piece about their wedding. Of course, she was unfailingly polite and courteous; keeping in line with what was deemed "appropriate interview content" by Andrew's PR team.

Serena had listened as Andrew did most of the talking, near the beginning of the interview. Her carefully practiced, and now perfected-through-many-years-of-practice 'polite-yet warm and courteous smile' was in place.

The smile allowed her to look like she was enjoying the conversation, even when internally, she was bored to death. She suspected Andrew was wearing an identical smile on his face.

The people wanted to see a crazy in love, adoring, amorous couple. So that's exactly what they gave them. A happy, doting, to-be-wed couple.

"Uh, sweetheart?" came Andrew's voice, waking her from her silent deliberation.

"Ah yes, at Yale University," said Serena as she turned back to face Stephanie.

"Our friend, Amelia, introduced us. We were in different fields; I was in the Arts, while Andrew was in Business. We met, and we immediately hit it off."

"And you've been together ever since?" questioned Stephanie, whilst taking a sip of her red wine. Her tape recorder lay blinking on the table, a few inches from where they were seated, so as not to miss a single juicy tidbit.

"Yes, what has it been, like 6, 7 years? I've lost count," laughed Andrew.

"She was, _is_ , perfect for me, so the years have just flown by. We're a good fit so I wasn't about to let her get away," he joked.

Everyone laughed amicably at Andrew's joke, but Stephanie wanted greater detail.

"What specifically do you like about Ms. Beaumont? What drew you to her?"

Andrew smiled fondly at me, while squeezing my hand.

"What's not to like? She's smart, focused, kind, and obviously beautiful," he said, with a wink.

Serena blushed appropriately and swathed his arm playfully. Stephanie seemed to be eating up Andrew's every word. This was not surprising in the least. Serena was used to it. Women drooled over Andrew wherever he went. And who could blame them? He was drool-worthy indeed.

He stood 6-foot tall, and had a broad shouldered, narrow waist frame. Those forest green eyes, and sandy blonde hair imparted an innocence to his otherwise sexy looks.

Women stared whenever he went, so Stephanie's stupor came as no surprise.

"We have similar goals in life, a similar view-point on life and dreams," continued Andrew.

Stephanie seemed a bit confused and wanted clarification, "What do you mean?"

Serena supposed she should give her input on the matter.

"We're both very practical. We have to be, with our chosen professions. But that is exactly why; we get each other. We understand each other. We've been friends a long time, so it comes quite easily now," said Serena as she gazed at Andrew.

"Ah that's true. Understanding each other is key," said Stephanie, as she nodded her head, as if finally understanding the answer to some great mystery.

Andrew took another glance at his watch. The glances had increased in frequency within the last 20 minutes. Serena knew he had to run to the other part of town, for a meeting, quite soon.

Stephanie had noticed as well. "Just one last, simple question," she stated. "Will the wedding be a big event or a small event? And do you plan on being intimately involved, or hiring a wedding and event planner to oversee everything?"

Well technically those were two questions.

Serena knew these questions were directed towards her so she began, " It will be a sizeable event; we know quite a few people. That being said, I don't want a very large wedding either. So I suppose, something in the middle; neither too large, nor too small.

Stephanie smiled in understanding.

Serena continued, "To answer your _second_ question, I will be very closely involved with the preparations. It's always been a dream of mine to plan my own wedding-" she added with a sheepish smile directed at Andrew. "So I intend to oversee everything quite closely," ended Serena.

"Even despite your demanding job?" pondered Stephanie.

"Yes, of course. I am committed to making this work. I intend to take some time out to focus on my wedding. A girl only gets married once," answered Serena, while she continued the thought internally. ' _Well…ideally_.'

"Of course. Especially since it is THE wedding of the year," said Stephanie with a wink at Serena.

' _So I hear_ ,' Serena mumbled mentally.

Stephanie gathered her interview essentials, and after a few pleasantries, which included wishing them 'All the best in their wedding preparations and planning' was on her way back to the head office.

Serena and Andrew watched Stephanie leave, with amiable smiles plastered on their faces. They continued doing so until they saw Stephanie exit the hotel and hit the roads of New York City.

As soon as she hit the pavement, their carefully placed smiles fell as their faces relaxed. And they were back to their normal selves.

"Well that went well," pondered Serena.

"I think so too," said Andrew, as he quickly grabbed his coat jacket from the back of his chair and shrugged into it.

"You really couldn't help that dig at her asking two questions, could you?" he added with an all-knowing smirk.

"Well she _is_ a journalist Andy. She shouldn't make false statements."

Andrew chuckled, "Uh huh."

"So any plans for the day?" he asked, fixing his suit, making sure he looked impeccable.

"I have a few things lined up. And I suppose I should get started on this wedding planning business as I just told Ms. Ross a few moments ago."

"Don't stress yourself out too much. You can have all the help you want," said Andrew.

"I know, but I do want to do this myself" Serena emphasized, looking into Andrew's eyes.

"Mhm, ok, I have to go. Need to be on Fifth Avenue in 15 minutes," he said, checking his watch.

"Yes, go, go. You have a business to run."

He smiled as he called his driver Mike and asked him to come around the corner.

"How do I look?" Andrew asked, his arms in the air as if asking a question.

"You look perfect," Serena said with a smile.

Andrew leaned down and kissed Serena's forehead. "I'll see you later sweetheart. Hopefully we'll be able to do dinner, if these meeting don't take too long."

And just like that, he was gone. He came and went like the wind.

As Serena contemplated whether to head to the office or home, her phone rang in the pocket of her handbag.

"Yes hi, am I speaking with Ms. Beaumont?"

"Yes, this is she. Whom am I speaking with?"

"Ms. Beaumont, this is Antoine from Gaultier's Florist shop on 3rd Avenue, and I'm calling to let you know that your flowers are ready so you can come over, at your convenience, and verify your order."

What the hell was he talking about?

"I'm sorry, I think you may have me confused with someone else. I haven't placed any order for flowers yet. I haven't even selected a flower design yet."

"Um, I am sure this is for your wedding Madam. Are you not getting married to Mr. Andrew Carter?"

"Well …yes I am, but I haven't placed an order. What was the order for exactly?"

"Um, it is for the reception party Madam. It is a beautiful arrangement of a dozen lilies for every table…"

He continued saying something about how beautiful the arrangement was, and how she would absolutely love it, but Serena wasn't listening. She felt the anger building up inside her.

Quietly she interrupted the gushing man and asked, "Do you remember who placed the order exactly?"

"Why yes madam, it was-"

She knew; she knew before she had asked him. She just needed to verify it.

"-It was Lillian Carter. Why she must be your-"

"My mother-in-law, yes," Serena answered, the rage continuing to build inside her.

Lillian, "Lilly" Carter. The bane of her existence. As sweet as her son was, she was the complete opposite.

Of course, it would be her idea to order flowers that corresponded to her own name for her son's wedding!

"Ah yes, yes. She came in about 2 weeks ago and selected the arrangement. She said it would go beautifully with the cake she had ordered."

She did what?

Oh no she didn't!

Not only did she order her flowers for her, but she had also already picked out her wedding cake!

This woman was insane! How could she do this?!

Reigning in her anger, Serena spoke into her cell phone, " Antoine, you need to listen to me now. You need to cancel this order. There will be no lilies at my wedding. Rest assured, I will visit you to select another appropriate flower, once I have settled this issue. Thanks for understanding Antoine."

Depositing the phone in her bag, Serena tried to control herself.

The woman was a lunatic. How dare she do this?

Serena had to go face her so she could tell her that this was not acceptable. She knew calling her would do her no good. She rarely answered calls, and seeing Serena's name on her caller display would hardly propel her to answer.

Let's just say Serena believed Lily didn't like her, as much as Serena didn't like Lily.

So this left just one thing to do. Serena walked out of the hotel and found her car parked alongside the curb. She threw her bag in the passenger's seat, and decided to drive down to have a little chat about restrictions, borders, and crossing such border lines, with her dearest mother-in-law from hell.

I would appreciate any comments. Please leave some feedback!


	2. Chapter 2

Hello All,

Finally chapter 2 is up! I've decided to work on this story, and see where it leads. This chapter builds up to the main events that are about to happen in a bit. I hope you find it enjoyable.

As always, I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts and comments on this story! It is the best motivation, ever.

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

Serena took deep breaths to calm herself down as she drove to the Carter's residence; a statuesque manor home, located in the eastern portion of Manhattan.

She needed to be level headed when dealing with her mother-in-law. Yelling and shouting would only make matters worse. And of course, such behavior would be unbecoming.

But this was easier said than done. It was hard to keep a certain phone conversation with a florist, which had happened under an hour ago, from her mind.

"Please turn left at the next intersection," instructed the programmed voice from her BMW's GPS system.

Thank god for modern navigation devices. Geography and maps were not her strong point.

Serena sighed as she obeyed her GPS system and swerved left onto Maple Avenue. She knew the Carter's would be troublesome to marry into.

Andrew was very sweet and an absolute gentleman, despite his affluent family. He was the heir to a prominent software business.

But he wasn't a spoiled rich boy who had just been born into wealth. The company and expanded and flourished under his supervision. It was a multi-million dollar enterprise.

And the fact that Andrew had accomplished so much at such a young age was astounding.

Andrew had obviously inherited his mannerisms from his father. Benjamin Carter was an intelligent and kind man; one whom Serena enjoyed conversing with.

It was Andrew's mother that was the problem.

Lillian Carter was a proud woman, who was born into money. She lead many society committees, many where they fought for the preservation of one monument or another. Few people ever refused Lillian, and this only added to her monumental sized ego.

Lillian adored Andrew, who was an only child. She was very protective over her fully grown, adult child, and she wanted the best things in life for him.

This is where the problem arose. Serena was not the best thing for Andrew. According to Lillian, Serena was beneath him.

This was not because of the fact that Serena was poor or not from a wealthy family. No, to the contrary, Serena's family was also counted among the wealthy in New York City. Her father, Heath Beaumont, was a prominent real estate developer in the Upper East Side. They were also worth millions.

But, they were what you would consider, "new money". Their money came solely from the hard work of her father, not from generations of hardworking ancestors.

Lillian liked to believe that their family had a history; that they were more refined and of "old money".

But the real reason why Lillian disliked Serena, in Serena's opinion, was that they were polar opposites. Lillian wanted somebody like herself for her son. Someone who wanted to be part of committees, someone who wanted to live in past traditions, and someone who listened and obeyed Lillian's every word.

Serena couldn't stand being part of committees filled with catty old women fighting over frivolous matters.

She suspected that due to their inherent differences, Lillian believed Serena would take Andrew away from her.

Which was not something Serena wanted to do. Despite how bat crazy she was, Lillian was still his mother.

"You have arrived at your destination."

Serena looked up the large mansion, made of stone and brick in dread. She didn't want to talk to Lillian, because she wasn't confident she could control her temper. The woman was insufferable!

But she needed to assert herself. She needed to show Lillian that Serena was not going to let Lillian step all over her.

She would decide the arrangements for her own wedding, dammit!

With confidence, Serena marched up the stone steps and knocked on the large wooden door.

The door opened to show a petit woman. "Ms. Serena, good afternoon! I didn't know you would be coming by today," she exclaimed, with a warm welcoming smile.

"Good afternoon Maria. I wasn't planning on stopping by, but there are some things that I must discuss with Mrs. Carter," replied Serena. She had always liked Maria, the Carter's housekeeper. She brought some warmth and happiness into the house.

"Yes of course, come in. Mrs. Carter is in the study," said Maria, as she moved back to let Serena pass.

Serena waited as Maria announced her arrival to Lillian, and when Maria walked out of the study, Serena promptly strode in.

"Well hello Serena. What a pleasant surprise," exclaimed Lillian, from behind a large mahogany desk. It looked like she had been reading over some papers. Lillian removed her glasses and gave Serena a stiff smile.

' _Pleasant, my ass_ ,' Serena thought mentally.

"Good Afternoon Lillian," Serena returned the stiff smile.

"Should I call for some snacks? You must be famished. You look positively starved," came the taunt.

Yes, how could Serena have forgotten this from the list of all things that were wrong with her according to Lillian Carter? Lillian also believed her far too thin and scrawny.

Taking a deep breath, Serena replied, "No thank you, I'm afraid I won't be staying very long. There is just a matter that I would like to discuss with you."

"Yes, my dear. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Serena moved closer to the desk as she said; "It has been brought to my attention that flowers, and perhaps even a cake, have been ordered already for our wedding…"

"Mhm," Lillian acknowledged, waiting for Serena to get to continue.

"So you agree that you have placed these orders?"

"Why yes I have. We need to hurry and make some decisions before all the good vendors are taken," she said nonchalantly.

She wasn't even the least bit perturbed.

Serena felt the anger rising.

In a bid to calm down, Serena smiled and asked, "Of course this is true, but didn't you think it would be important to ask me my preferences, for my wedding?"

"Oh you're too busy. You don't have time for this. Don't worry about it, I have an eye for these things," she said, with a wave of her hand.

She just waved off her concern! The nerve! What, she has an eye for these things? Was Lillian implying that Serena had no eye for décor, or that she just had bad taste in general?

"Regardless of how occupied I am, I would really like to have an input in these matters-" started Serena, before Lillian cut her off.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about these things, dear. What could you possibly have to contribute to mundane things like wedding preparations?" said Lillian, as she flipped through the papers on her desk.

"How about the _significant_ detail of my being allergic to Lilies?" Serena spit out, with a sarcastic smile.

"Oh," was the only thing that came out of Lillian's mouth, as she sat frozen in her seat.

She had practically yelled at her mother-in-law, but she had finally managed to shut up Lillian Carter. This day must be marked in her calendar.

Serena was tired of these digs at her self-worth. She was clearly an intelligent woman. But Lillian insisted on treating her as if she was incapable of handling two things simultaneously.

"Well, ahem, I was unaware of that fact," Lillian said, as she started to come out of her stupor.

Ah, it didn't take long for her smug tone to resurface.

"Yes, you were. Listen Lillian, I understand that you would like to be involved in the preparations. And I am happy to have your input. But, I also need to be included in the preparations for my own wedding. I am capable of planning my own wedding, and I would like to worry about mundane wedding preparations," finished Serena.

There she had said it. Serena would actually prefer for Lillian not to be involved, but she knew that in all reality, that was not a possibility.

There was an awkward pause, where they stared at each other for what seemed like minutes.

She must be trying to figure out how serious I am.

Then the silence broke. "Yes of course. You should have a say in the preparations," Lillian acquiesced.

Feeling brave, Serena added, "I would like to make the main decisions; with input from you and my mother, of course."

Lillian apparently wasn't feeling _that_ generous, as she said, "Serena, you are quite young. You don't understand what goes into planning a wedding of this caliber. It is _the_ social event of the season. We have expectations to uphold."

"But, I'd rather that I choose- " Serena started.

"I know, I know. I will keep you informed of all the important decisions. And we will of course require your input before we finalize anything. Don't worry."

There was that phrase again. How could she not worry? Her mother-in-law had hijacked her wedding preparations!

"Was there anything else my dear? I have papers to get to…" she asked, with raised brows, as if encouraging her to argue some more.

"Not at this moment. Thank you, but we will talk some more on this matter later. Please make sure you inform me when we need to decide on any events or arrangements."

"Of course," Lillian said, with that stiff smile.

As Serena drove away from the mansion, she felt dissatisfied. Why? She shouldn't be? She had made headway right? Lillian had agreed to involve her in the decisions…

But the problem was that Serena didn't trust Lillian. Would she actually come through with her promises? She didn't think so.

This whole situation was beyond frustrating. Serena was asking permission to be involved with her own wedding plans!

She couldn't leave it at this. She couldn't take her mother-in-law's words seriously. She needed to go home and hash out a plan.

She needed to be in charge of her own damn wedding!

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Thank you for reading! Please review! _Pretty please?_


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